The planning for this trip began in the summer of 2015. Mr. Metzke met with Morgan Gallaher, the SGA President, about possibly going to see the Inauguration. Mr. Metzke had taken a much larger group to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama and was a little weary about going again. After contacting the travel company, World Stride, it was decided that Mr. Metzke would be taking another group back to witness the peaceful transfer of power. After informational meetings and opening up the invitation to classes around Lanphier, the number of students attending dropped to five, and it was settled. It was a pricey decision to make and some students didn’t see the appeal, but for five Junior and Senior girls, it twinkled a little sparkle in their eyes.

Although they knew about this trip far in advance, their nerves didn’t kick in until they boarded the airplane the morning of Thursday, January 19. Mixed with emotions about the elections, nerves on what the next couple of days had to offer and for some anxiety (and motion sickness) from their first airplane ride ever, the students landed in DC at about 2:15 p.m. on Thursday. Straight from the airplane onto the bus, the students began the trip with some site seeing and getting to know the area. The girls were fully kicked into gear by now.

The next day the girls set their alarms for 4:30 a.m. and started their day with a hot breakfast provided by the Pear Tree hotel. After that, they and the school LHS was paired with, by World Stride, loaded onto the bus. The ride was short, but from 6-9:30, they walked to the Washington Monument. As they walked, the beauty of the sunrise was enough to distract them from the numbing pain spreading in their feet, but the history they were about to witness made everything worthwhile.

While in the nation’s capital, not only did these girls see our 45th president take the oath, but they also visited a number of different memorials and museums. The Holocaust Museum, The Korean War Memorial, The Vietnam Memorial, The Women of the Military Memorial, and The Smithsonian Museum of American History are some of the things they had the opportunity to experience.

When asked what the most memorable thing about the trip was, the students answered things like experiencing the Inauguration, seeing the protests, the memorials, witnessing the Women’s March in the flesh.

“[I think] the most memorable part was the Inauguration itself because it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Destiny said when asked what was most memorable to her. “We were all lucky to be able to see it.”

If you want more information about these girls and the Inauguration trip, here are some other articles you can check out: